"I've cried in a tunnel after a race"- Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone gets real about dealing with the highs and lows as an athlete

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about dealing with the highs and lows of life as an athlete. The Olympic gold medalist shared her views on the popular notions among the masses about athletes and expressed how they face similar challenges faced by common people in day-to-day life.

McLaughlin-Levrone has broken the 400m hurdles World record six times since 2021 and has continued her unbeaten streak in the event for the past four years. Her athletic prowess and ability to push through the limits made her one of her generation's most popular track athletes.

The American athlete opened up about people's notions about athletes in her latest appearance on 'Ready Set Go' with Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone expressed that athletes have their fair share of ups and downs, many of which never come out in the public domain.

"People don't realise athletes are people. They just see you as a performance, as a number, as a time, as a medal, as a failure in their eyes for a certain team if they lose, they don't see you as a person who also has highs and lows, and trials and battles and fears and all these things," she said. (23:40 onwards)

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone spoke about a time when she cried after a race. The American athlete lost the top spot to Dalilah Muhammad by a small margin in the finals of the 400m hurdles at the 2019 World Athletics Championships. McLaughlin-Levrone clocked 52.23s to finish second, and Muhammad won the gold medal with a World Record performance of 52.16s.

"There have definitely been times when - I've cried in a tunnel after a race. I mean Doha 2019 coming so close to not just the medal but the World record and to see Dalilah in her prime, just doing amazing things right before my eyes, I was like,'Ah, that's my dream' and to watch somebody two feet away do it this was like I'm so close yet so far," she added.

Furthermore, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shared that there have been moments in her career when she faced self-doubt.

---

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on being inspired by female athletes

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at the Grand Slam Track - Philadelphia - Source: Getty

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about being inspired by female athletes in an interview with World Athletics on International Women's Day. The American athlete expressed that she was inspired by the athletes who took the center stage before her, and their accomplishments motivated her to push her limits and succeed in the track circuit.

Moreover, McLaughlin-Levrone expressed her desire to become a role model for the upcoming generation of athletes.

“I think just being able to see people you know, women who have come before me and just seeing what they've been able to accomplish has just inspired me...I just want to continue to be that role model for the young girl who's watching who might be 8 years old like I was and aspiring to be on that stage," she said.

McLaughlin-Levrone hoped to continue her pursuit of greatness by putting forward incredible performances on the track.